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How to Read the Food Label Ingredients So That You Won’t Be FOOLED

One of the WORST food label tricks (and this actually makes me pretty mad! 😡 so it’s #1) is the fact that the FDA calculates the nutritional percentages on a food label by the weightof the food. (It should be calculated by the percentage of calories.) Here’s a great example: If you look at the label on a gallon of 2% milk, it obviously states the percentage of fat is 2%, right? This number is measured according to the weight, and where does most of the weight come from? Water. That’s right folks, according to thedairydish.com, milk is about 88% water. Water has no calories. If you go by percentage of the substances that do have calories, as in fat, protein and carbs, you can determine the correct amount. Take away the water and guess what? That 2% fat is actually 35%.

Here’s another tricky sales tactic. (#2)

Let’s compare potato chips.

Which one do you think is healthier?

It’s obviously the baked ones, right? Even the bag looks healthier and more “natural.” Let’s compare the Nutrition Facts labels. If you look at the calorie count, the baked chips are only 120 calories, compared to the original chips which have 160 calories. Most people stop there, but I encourage you to keep reading. The sodium and fat content are also reduced, and if you look even closer you’ll see that the saturated fat has been eliminated completely. That’s got to be better, right? You must realize that Big Food companies are pretty savvy, and they know the global trends. Everyone is into healthier eating nowadays and more and more people are looking at these labels. I hope after reading this article you’ll be able to spot the #1 worst food label trick, which is deceptively designed to make you buy more processed food. Cheaper ingredients equal bigger profits for Big Foods. They have no incentive to actually help you clean up your diet because it means they lose money. So don’t be fooled! I will show you how to find the information you’re looking for.

I bet you didn’t notice that the carbs increased by 13 grams,

and the sugar has more than doubled!!!

That seems important doesn’t it? (Especially if you are a Diabetic!) The fact is these percentages on the nutrition label should only be used to determine whether or not a food follows you dietary guidelines. If you need to be on a low fat or low sodium diet for instance, it’s a good way to compare products.

If you are trying to determine

whether or not a food is HEALTHY,

you need to look at the ingredients LIST.

Here’s my advice: Skip the Nutritional “Facts” chart and go straight to the list of ingredients for more accurate information. By law, the ingredients must be listed in order by volume, with the ingredient weighing the most listed first. If you are interested in how the FDA came up with this labeling system, check out the

Finally, my #3 worst food label trick is when you see added vitamins on the label or in the advertising. Did you know that most vitamins in the US are manufactured in China? The quality of the ingredient is determined by it’s source, as well as the way it’s processed. (You do not want to know where these added “nutrients” are coming from.) And in most cases where Big Food is involved, the processing involves high heat. Pasteurization may ensure public safety by boiling away any dangerous bacteria, but it’s also destroyed the natural nutrients and this is the reason why these foods have to be fortified. It certainly doesn’t mean they are extra healthy, it just makes it seem that way.

If you’d like to see more on this topic, please take a look at the videos posted on the right side of the page. If you scroll down a bit, you’ll see the first of my Healthy is HOT series called “HEALTHY? or not!” It will reveal how food companies are now hiding how much sugar is in their product. Please comment below if you found some value here, and be sure to share this post on social media to help me get the word out. Thanks!

Hi! I'm Judy, a Nutritional Cleansing Expert and Healthy Lifestyle Coach helping busy people lose fat, build muscle, get healthy and feel younger with a simple system that does not require dieting or exercise. I'll show you how to rebuild your body from the inside out for lasting success and optimal health. Contact me directly for a free coaching session: judy@jjlsolutions.com